A Murderous Truth
by SlytherinGirl0220
Summary: PARADE. What if Leo Frank knew the truth about Mary Phagan's murder, but was too afraid to say anything about it? RATED FOR IMPLIED RAPE AND THE MURDER OF A MINOR. r&r!


(A/N: yes another Parade fanfiction. I just can't control myself. I'm kind of obsessed with it now. This is the real scoop on Mary Phagan's murder. It's very dark and kind of violent. R&R!! p.s. I own nothing!!)

Mary Phagan, a girl two months shy of fourteen, was walking home from the factory after Mr. Frank had just given her the money for the week. She was tired, Memorial day had worn her out. First she had gotten asked out by that Frankie, and then celebrated, and now was finally about to come home to take a bath and go to bed. She let out a yawn, very tired, indeed.

Little did she know that someone was watching her from the shadows. He was hidden with night's dark veil and was waiting for the right moment to take this child. She was a very pretty girl. He smiled to himself as he watched her walk past him. With that purple dress and white hat she was impossible to miss, even in the dark of the Georgia night. He leaped out and covered her mouth, preventing the child from screaming.

He dragged her into the bushes and then into the huge doors leading to the pencil factory's basement. Yes, here would be a perfect place. Hopefully no one would find her here, even if they did, they would not assume it had been him who had done these awful things to her.

"Wanna play a game, child?" he asked. Her eyes were wide and wet with tears as she saw the rope he pulled out from his back pocket. "Make a sound and I choke you, ya hear?" he said. Mary nodded her dainty little head. The man licked his lips and laughed. "I got you now child, no where to run or hide," he said, talking to himself rather than her.

She knew this man; she had seen him in the factory. His name was Jim Conley. He had always looked at her funny but she never thought in millions of years he would be looking at her this way. She felt something break into her and she let out a sob. He held the rope close to her neck. She closed her eyes tight and tried to think about a happy place. Her old farmhouse and Pa cooking breakfast. He was making hot cakes, her favorite. Her Ma was happy and smiling as her brothers played. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. Her happy place fled her mind and she focused once more on the man who was on top of her.

She couldn't breathe! She tried banging on his arm, trying to tell him he was hurting her bad. She tried sobbing but couldn't get the sound out. She started seeing little spots. He was smiling and making weird noises, none of which she had ever heard in her life. Everything was starting to go black…she couldn't breathe…

Jim finished his dirty job and then glanced down and the little child below him. "How you like that, child?" he asked, laughing. But then he noticed something, something very strange. She wasn't breathing! Oh lord almighty, she was DEAD! Dead as dust! Dead as last Christmas eve! He sprang up and looked around, trying to find something to cover her with.

He found some rags and then tossed them over her. He killed her! He hadn't meant to, nothing like that! He just wanted his little fun! He ran out of the basement, leaving the dead child behind, along with the rope that had killed her. He ran silently through the night, trying to get as far away from the crime scene as possible.

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A doorbell ring echoed through the Frank house. Lucille, seeing her husband was immersing himself in business, got up and answered. At the door were two police.

"Evenin', Mrs. Frank. Is Mr. Frank home?" the shorter one asked. Lucille looked back into the house and saw Leo had raised his head. He came to the door.

"What can I help you gentlemen with?" Leo asked. The two looked at each other then turned back to him.

"I think you better come with us, Mr. Frank. We got somethin' you might like to see," one of the police officers said. Mr. Frank obliged and walked out of the house. The three men walked to the pencil factory and into the cellar. There, Mr. Frank saw to his horror, was the body of the little girl who had come for her pay the day before.

"oh my!" he gasped. He was horrified and sick to his stomach. This poor child! He went through a list of people who could have been the ones to do it, but then he realized something. The police were staring at him, giving him a look that said 'trying to cover up, are you?' "oh my…you think…you think I did this?!" Mr. Frank asked, shocked.

That would be the start of a very long journey for him.

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He was guilty in all the town's eyes. Mr. Frank had murdered little Mary Phagan and he was going to be hung for it! He was in shock when he heard Jim Conley's account of the events that had happened in the factory. He had claimed that Mr. Frank told him to watch the door while he 'entertained' young ladies from the factory! It was absurd! He had done nothing of the sort!

Mr. Frank was sitting on his cot in his prison cell when a visitor came to call. He looked up and met the eyes of none other than Jim Conley. "What do you want?" he asked, rather annoyed. It was late and he wanted to go to sleep.

"Jus' came to talk to ya'll, Mr. Frank. Can't I just have a word?" Jim asked. Mr. Frank sighed and nodded.

"Come in," he said. Jim stepped in and the cell door locked behind him. "Like I said before, what do you want?"

"Well, I wanted to make sure you and I was on the same page, 's all," Jim said, smiling down and Mr. Frank.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Frank replied, looking deep into Jim's eyes. Jim laughed a little and sat down on a stool beside the cot. He looked around, taking in the surroundings for the first time.

"Shoot! This place is even worse than my house!" Jim said. Mr. Frank rolled his eyes and shut the book he'd been reading. He set it on his bed next to him and then looked back up at Jim.

"Yes, it's pretty bad. But it is, after all, a prison cell." Mr. Frank said, his eyes and words cold towards the man who had made up such horrible lies about him.

"Shoot, I was just sayin' is all."

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" Mr. Frank repeated the question for the third time that evening. Jim smiled once more and nodded.

"Right, right. What I want is to know if you know who really killed Mary Perkins,"

"Phagan," corrected Mr. Frank.

"Right, Mary Phagan,"

"No idea who it was. Do you really think if I did I would be here right now?" Mr. Frank asked. Jim laughed.

"Guess you're right!" he said.

"Do you know who killed her?" Mr. Frank asked him, his eyes glued on him.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't!" Jim said. Mr. Frank shot him a look that was so cold it even made Jim shudder. He sighed and then proceeded to speak. "Alright, well I suppose I have some idea," he said. Mr. Frank did not shift his gaze. "Well, you could say it was me," Jim said.

"What!?" Mr. Frank yelled, shocked and horrified. He was being punished for what Jim had done?

"Hey! Hey, don't get mad at me, it ain't my fault I'm pretty damn good at gettin' away with things!" Jim said. Mr. Frank felt anger erupt like a huge volcano in his heart. It spread all over his body until he was engulfed with anger and hatred toward the man sitting in front of him. Mixed with anger, he felt disgusted. Jim had raped and killed a young girl!

"You sick, disgusting rat!" Mr. Frank yelled, standing up. Jim stood up too and smiled as they got close together, as if preparing for a fight.

"You gonna fight me, Mr. Frank? Hell, you would lose so bad and then you would get punished. I wouldn't do it if I was you," Jim said. Mr. Frank's eyes were wide with anger and hatred, and his gaze was hot, burning into Jim like lasers. But Jim kept his ground. He was tough, after being on the chain gang he learned to be tough.

"Fine, but I'm going to tell everyone. Don't think I won't!" he said. Jim laughed and took a seat on the stool.

"You think that's a good idea, Mr. Frank?" Jim asked. Mr. Frank gave him a puzzled look. "Ya see, this here town hates you, Mr. Frank. They ain't gonna believe you. And unless you want to end up lynched, with your neck broken and your body on display for the whole damn town, it'd be mighty wise of you to keep that mouth of yours shut, ya hear?" Jim said. He saw Mr. Frank nod, agreeing with him. The city of Atlanta had turned against him a while ago, they weren't going to believe him now, no matter what he said.

"I suppose you're right,"

"Yep. I'm always right. Remember that," he said. Jim got up and started to walk away, then turned to look at Mr. Frank. "But if you do tell, and they get you off and believe you, don't think you won't end up like that little Mary Perkins, ya hear?" With that, Jim turned and left the prison. Mr. Frank sighed and rested his forhead against his palms.

Jim walked away with a smirk on his lips…he finally had Mr. Frank where he wanted him…on his way to the gallows.

(A/N: I just had to write this. I always thought Jim would be the type to blackmail people, so there you go! I hope you liked it!! R&R!!)


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